Step into this gorgeous annex in Ahmedabad designed by Sönke Hoof

An extension for an old family home takes on a refreshing personality of its own

Featured | The main living room overlooks the stepped courtyard. The painted, wooden cow heads are from the craft market in Kochi; the sofa is by Fama; the woollen rug is custom-made; the ‘Shell’ chair is by Hans J Wegner, and the ‘Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman’ set is from Herman Miller.

The need for an annex is a familiar one. Families in suburban India, reluctant to demolish their ancestral homes often grow awkward protrusions to accommodate the next generations’ needs, or the retiring generations’ new pursuits. The new construction is usually tacked on higgledy-piggledy, often as dissonant to the old structure in aesthetic as it is in aspiration. At first glance, this house seems typical of that building tradition. But a closer look at this entity perched atop a brutalist-lite building— typical of urban Indian housing in the 1980s—proves that this annex is without precedent. This is Sönke Hoof’s fifth extension in Ahmedabad. The German-origin architect is a partner at Vastushilpa Consultants and is married to fellow architect and partner Khushnu Panthaki Hoof, who is the granddaughter of the firm’s founder, the visionary architect BV Doshi.

Photo Caption | Ahmedabad Annex: On the wall to the left of the staircase, which leads to the first floor, is an artwork by Jitendra Singh Baoni; on the partition to the right is one by Priya Sheth. The wooden details as well as the otla (an architectural element in traditional Gujarati homes, usually to mark the transition into the home with a slight elevation and a difference in material) were added by Sönke Hoof

Alien Wonder

When Sönke took on this project, he had his work cut out for him. “Three generations live in this house—Monisha and Sanjay Desai, Sanjay’s mother and their two sons. They needed a larger lounge, a little guest room, a small kitchenette…” he says. Built by Sanjay’s parents in 1981, the house rendered precious memories tangible since his father passed away. “So building a totally new house was out of the question,” Sönke says. Certain realities presented themselves when he began to make plans. The house had no particular style, “but was a suitable base to work from,” Sönke says. It was also obvious that the only way to go was up. “The old house almost entirely covered the buildable area of the plot.”

Sönke was also clear that he didn’t want the extension to blend into the old house. “I’d rather it told its own story, so a totally alien addition seemed the right thing to do,” he says. The architect went back to a project he’d worked on as a student. “It was called ‘Parasites’—parasitic additions to buildings. This was a great opportunity to do it for real. So that the black box lands on the roof and… [makes] itself comfortable. It also extended itself into the main house, taking it over from inside out. How amazing is that?!”

Photo Caption | Ahmedabad Annex: The refurbished master bedroom on the first floor is connected to the open terrace above the entrance patio

Clever Extension

There were a couple of other challenges. “Only half of the terrace of the old house was flat; the remaining part sloped towards the road,” Sönke says. The idea of placing the extension from the flat part of the terrace and then letting it project out over the sloping part came to him quickly. The sloping garden they created is akin to a courtyard, “Even when the shutters are closed, there is an open gap below, through which you can see the green of the garden, the sky and glimpses of the street,” Sönke says. Given that the neighbouring high-rise is only 20 feet away, it also cleverly accomplishes a sense of space and privacy.

Photo Caption: Ahmedabad Annex | The refurbished patio on the ground floor—Sönke also reworked the direction of the stairs in this space, added wooden slats and a railing, and changed the original marble flooring to black granite

Doused in Sunshine

Facilitating manoeuvrability around Ahmedabad’s weather was equally vital, and the top floor can be opened or closed as required. “Evenings in Ahmedabad are pleasant and the city has a long tradition of using terraces in the late evenings,” Sönke says. The architect also wanted to keep out direct sunlight in the city’s harsh, hot summers. “That is handled by the movable black shutters around the building, partly by overhangs. The breeze, which plays an important role, is also regulated by the shutters.” The louvres that let in the breeze or keep out prying eyes are particularly stunning. To create them, Sönke used an 18th-century Japanese weatherproofing technique known as shou sugi ban that involves charring a wood surface black; the process gives it a gorgeous texture and excellent longevity. But where shou sugi ban usually employs Japanese cedar, Sönke imported FSC-certified yellow cedar from Canada. “I wanted to be sure to source from responsibly managed forests,” he explains.

The results exceeded his expectations. “They appear to change colour during the day depending on the angle of the light—from black to silver to bronze. I didn’t expect that.” The courtyard surrounded by the black louvres is very much his favourite part of the house. “It works in all seasons,” Sönke says, “And seeing the rain fall into the courtyard is beautiful.”

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This view from the study is of the stepped courtyard, surrounded by charred cedar louvres; the ‘Shell' chair is a Hans J Wegner design

The external view of the house as seen from the street, with the moveable louvres closed for privacy and to keep out the sun, and with them open, to let in the breeze (next photo)

Mindful Architecture

In a beautiful film on the firm’s website, Sönke’s grandfather-in-law—BV Doshi, the Pritzker Prize-winner, father of sustainable architecture in India, and friend of Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn—explains how a building can create mindfulness. Sönke navigates the question gingerly: “That’s a tricky one. Mr Doshi speaks often about choice, and here you have a choice. The courtyard is calming. But the louvres let you choose whether you want to be part of your surroundings—the hectic city fabric—or not.” Ask what it is like, to live with a family legacy like that and Sönke laughs out loud, “It’s terrifying!” But then, he says, seriously, with respect and affection, “Jokes aside, most discussions in the family come back to architecture.” Khushnu worked as a sounding board to his ideas on this project but, he continues, “We all believe in a lot of freedom and Mr Doshi believes that each of us should follow our own path, where learning can take place naturally.”

Photo Caption | The kitchenette in the Ahmedabad annex, with a sitting nook

Locally Inspired

Sönke’s first childhood memories are of a big terrace overlooking the street in front of his house, with a cherry-tree- covered hill in the distance. A terrace at the back opened to the garden that surrounded the entire house. “The connection to a big outside space was great,” he remembers. Today, in Ahmedabad, his primary motives when building are to deal with local climates and use natural light as an element of design. “Where the sun rises, knowing that the cool breezes come from the southwest—a little science, a little common sense.”

“I came here as an alien,” he says, “and I’m trying to make the best out of it.” As you look up at this efficient, hospitable, modern alien perched on the Desais’ traditional homestead, drawing a sentimental parallel is hard to resist.